Cofilin promotes stimulus-induced lamellipodium formation by generating an abundant supply of actin monomers

Cofilin stimulates actin filament disassembly and accelerates actin filament turnover. Cofilin is also involved in stimulus-induced actin filament assembly during lamellipodium formation. However, it is not clear whether this occurs by replenishing the actin monomer pool, through filament disassembl...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of cell biology 2007-05, Vol.177 (3), p.465-476
Main Authors: Kiuchi, Tai, Ohashi, Kazumasa, Kurita, Souichi, Mizuno, Kensaku
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Actin Cytoskeleton - metabolism
Actin depolymerizing factors
Actin Depolymerizing Factors - genetics
Actin Depolymerizing Factors - metabolism
Actins
Actins - metabolism
Animals
Biochemistry
Cells
Cellular biology
Cercopithecus aethiops
COS Cells
Cytoplasm
Cytoplasm - metabolism
Cytoskeleton
Fluorescence
Humans
Mice
Microfilaments
Molecules
Monomers
Plasmids
Polymerization
Proteins
Pseudopodia - metabolism
Small interfering RNA
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Summary:Cofilin stimulates actin filament disassembly and accelerates actin filament turnover. Cofilin is also involved in stimulus-induced actin filament assembly during lamellipodium formation. However, it is not clear whether this occurs by replenishing the actin monomer pool, through filament disassembly, or by creating free barbed ends, through its severing activity. Using photoactivatable Dronpa-actin, we show that cofilin is involved in producing more than half of all cytoplasmic actin monomers and that the rate of actin monomer incorporation into the tip of the lamellipodium is dependent on the size of this actin monomer pool. Finally, in cofilin-depleted cells, stimulus-induced actin monomer incorporation at the cell periphery is attenuated, but the incorporation of microinjected actin monomers is not. We propose that cofilin contributes to stimulus-induced actin filament assembly and lamellipodium extension by supplying an abundant pool of cytoplasmic actin monomers.
ISSN:0021-9525
1540-8140
DOI:10.1083/jcb.200610005